Orchard Supply Hardware stores to shut down permanently, report says

FILE - A customer leaves Orchard Supply Hardware store in Mountain View, Calif., in this Jan. 3, 2012 file photo. Lowe’s says it plans to expand its California presence with an acquisition of Sears spinoff Orchard Supply Hardware Stores for about $205 million in cash. Orchard Supply filed a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition on Monday June 17, 2013, so the offer from Lowe’s will become the “stalking horse” bid for an auction of Orchard’s assets. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

Photo: Paul Sakuma / Associated Press

Orchard Supply Hardware will permanently shut down its stores nationwide by the end of the year, according to a media report.

Jackie Pardini Hartzell, the director of public relations for Orchard Supply Hardware’s parent company, Lowe’s Companies, Inc., told The Chronicle that she could not confirm the report of the closure because officials were in their “quiet period leading into earnings tomorrow.”

“We are issuing our press release at 6AM EST and can answer any follow-up questions then,” she said.

Neither Orchard Supply Hardware nor Lowe’s Companies, Inc. issued public statements on their websites or social media accounts as of Tuesday night.

Orchard Supply Hardware was founded in San Jose, California in 1931, according to the company website. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. acquired the hardware company in September 2013. There are more than 98 Orchard Supply Hardware stores throughout California, Oregon and Florida.

Lauren Hernández joined The San Francisco Chronicle in 2018. She covers crime, mayhem and breaking news. Previously, she was a breaking news reporter for the USA TODAY Network’s Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon. She graduated from San Jose State University in 2015 with a bachelor’s of science in journalism and a minor in philosophy. She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She is also a licensed drone pilot through the Federal Aviation Administration.